Joint for wire fabric



Nov. 17, 1 936. .F. cRossMAN JOINT FOR WIRE FABRIC Filed Feb. 15, 1954 Patented Nov. 17, 1936 UNITED STATES some roawma Fannie Fred Crossman, Shaker Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Lindsay Wire Weaving Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 15, 1934, Serial No. 711,346

2 Claim.

5 a strong joint between the ends of the fabric without the necessity for the use of a lacing wire;

One method heretofore devised for such purpose has utilized a thin strip of fusible metal that has been placed between the ends'of the fabric and has been melted by the application of heat to effect the union. Such method has resulted in a joint between the ends of the fabric, but

the joint has lacked sufiicient strength to make it practical. This is due to the fact that it is extremely dimcult to maintain the opposite ends of the same warp wire in direct alignment, prior .to and during the application of heat to the fusible metal. Consequently, the ends are apt to be offset with the result that they are connected to- 'gether only across a relatively small area.

A further object of my invention therefore, is to provide a seam which utilizes the feature of joining the ends of the fabric by the application of heat to -an interposed fusible strip, but which in addition, provides an effective joint regardless of the fact that the ends of the warp wiresmay not be in exact alignment.

Referring now to the drawing, Fig. l is a plan view of a portion of a seam of a'Fourdrinier wire that is made in accordance with myinvention; Figs. 2 and 3 are sections taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. l, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken throu h the interposed strand.

My invention is adapted for use two pieces of wire fabric, but as appliedto a Fourdrinier wire, the warp wires are indicated at l and the weft .wires at Ii, while one end of the fabric is represented by A and the opposite end by B. In the preferred arrangement, the warp pickets of one end are substantially equal in length to those of the. other end, and the opposing ends are placed on opposite sides of an interposed strand It.

The strand i5 preferably comprises a laminated strip of fusible and non-fusible metal. and in the form illustrated it comprises an inner layer 20 of non-fusible metal, such as flat bronze wire, while in ioining any the outer layer 2i comprises silver solder, or other fusible metal, which is bent in the form of a U around the non-fusible strip. For 60 mesh wire, I prefer to use a non-fusible strip, which has a thickness of approximately .010 inches and '5 a width of .025 inches. The fusible metal in turn may have a thickness of approximately .003

inches and a width sufllcient to substantially enclose the strip 20, as is shown in Fig. 4.

After the strand I5 is placed between the ends 10 of the fabric, heat is applied to it, and at the same time, the ends are pressed towards each other. As a result of the application of heat, such as results from a blow torch, the strip 2i fuses and forms a coating that firmly unites the ends of the warp pickets to the strip and to each other. As a result, the strip 20 forms a bridge across the ends of the warp pickets, and

thus, makes a strong connection or joint regardless of the-fact that some of the warp wires may 20 be out of alignment.

The utilization of a laminated strand, as de-; scribed, enables heat to be applied simultaneously, if desired, along different parts of the seam, thus materially reducing the time for making the seam, although in the preferred arrangement, the

' heat is applied progressively from one end to the other.

'1 claim:

1. A joint for a woven wire fabric having warp Wwires and weft wires, comprising a relatively thin fiat ribbon of non-fusible metal disposed between the ends of the fabric, and means for joining the ribbon to the warp wires on each side fusible metal which embraces one edge and two opposite sides of the ribbon, and the ribbon being substantially equally spaced from the adjacent weft wires on each side thereof.

2. A joint for a woven wire fabric comprising 40 warp wires and weft wires, the warp wires havingqpickets of substantially the same length at each end of the fabric and a bridge piece connecting the ends of the pickets, and comprising a relatively thin fiat ribbon of non-fusible metal 5 having a U-shaped coating of fusible metal extending around the ribbon.

FRED CROSSMAN.

of the joint, said means comprising a layer of 

